Man With Mental Health Issues Crashes Car into Meaux Mosque, No Injuries Reported

The incident occurred around 11:20 am on Saturday, February 26. The thirty-year-old demolished the emergency exit door of the Al Badr mosque, rue Sébastien de Brossard in Meaux, reports Le Parisien. "Fortunately, there was no one in the mosque," notes Radoine Khorchi, a member of the board of the Islamic Cultural and Worship Association of Meaux. "We are saddened but relieved that there were no injuries. Two doors are damaged. We have closed the ground floor and opened the upper floor to have a place to pray."

After committing this act, the suspect parked in front of the mosque, left on foot to take the train at the Meaux station. He will be arrested around 8 pm, in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine (Yvelines). After suspending his police custody, he will be placed on Sunday, February 27 in a psychiatric unit by administrative decision. This, after a doctor and a psychiatrist examined him. This man, who had already been convicted of domestic violence in November 2021, suffers from mental disorders. Based on the conclusions of the specialists, the justice system has ruled out a terrorist act.

"It turns out that this young Muslim does not have all his reason," informed the Al-Badr Islamic Center. "[...] We are, like the entire Muslim community of Meaux, saddened and shocked by this act, but we must keep our calm and discernment in the face of this situation."